Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1887-02-23
FAVOR IT'S PASSAGE.
The House Committee Would Pass the
Dependent Pension Bill Over the
Presidents Veto-Fu1l Text of the Re-
port of the Committee.


WASHINGTON, D. O., Feb. 19.-The
House committee on invalid pensions
to-day, by unanimous vote, decided
to report back the dependent pension
bill with a recommendation that it be
passed over the Presidents veto.
The report of the committee states
that two facts will arrest the attention
of anyone who reads the Presidents
message. The first is that no objec-
ton is made to the bill on any ground
of it's cons5itutionality, or the right
of Congress to enact the law is not
questioned The other is that the
first section of the bill is not
touched upon by. the. message
and no intimation is given
by the President as to whether
that section of itself embodying
as it does an independent pro position,
and in the precise form specially urged
by the secretary Of the interior in his
last annual report, meets with his APP
prevail or disapproval. The commit
tee then analyses the objections OF the
President that the bill is vague in it's
provisions in that it might apply to
various grades of disability or depend
ency, and submits to the Judgment
of the House and country that those
who framed the bill after months of
careful consideration have made no
mistake and have confined the bill to
the clasg-and that class can be we'll
defined as consisting of those totally
disabled or dependent on their daily
labor tor support. Weregret, SAYS the
committee, the
STRAINED INTERPRETATION
put on the bill in the message as On
excuse rather than reason for re-
turning it to the House and believe
we do no injustice to the executive,
when considering the whole message
to say that if it's provisions had been
palmer and no question could have
been raised as to whether it included
only those unable to labor, he would
have interposed his objection.
1t passes the comprehension of this
committee to understand how the
President could have overlooked in
another bill (the Mexican pension billy
what are alleged as faults In this bill.
Such distinction as is made
by the acts Of the President the COM
mittee cannot believe will be endorsed
anywhere by the patriotic sentiment
of this country. Referring to the ex-
penditures of money which the enact
ment of this bill into law would neces-
state, the committee contends that
the estimate of the President
is extravaganza; but says that no
consideration of possible cost shall
be allowed to come between the
n h. ne ho4
they are entitled to receive from the
country which they helped to save.
Reducing the whole question to one of
money expediency, it seemed to the
committee that the surplus IN the
treasury can be best restored to the
people in the manner proposed in the
bill. No bonded interest or huge
monopoly could claim the money for
it's own. it
WOULD GO TO THE PEOPLE
il small amounts, and would circulate
among them. The bill had been asked
for on every hand. Protests against
it had only come from money centers,
where all the money that did not turn
their mill was considered as worse
than wasted. In conclusion, the COM
mittee submitted that the general
tone of the message was to be
fairly taken as expressive In ad-
vance of the Presidents purpose
to use the executive power to
prevent any further legislation that
would add any new class to the pen
sion list or materially increase the
cost thereof, based on the idea that
the country was against it. The COM
mittee was aware that there was g.
sentiment of that kind, but insisted
that it was not controlling one. The
committee was 10th to believe that
the people of the country were willing
for the defenders of the nations
honor and life to live during
their declining years in misery and
want. On the contrary, he believed
that the people would prefer that
those who made the laws should err
on the side of mercy rather than on
the side of too rigid economy in the
expenditures of the public money In
this direction; and he further be-
lieved that il more taxes or even a
different kind Of taxes were necessary
To meet this demand, they would be
cheerfully paid by the people. Hold
ing fast, says the committee, to these
views of our duties as legislators, and
with a cheerful willingness to an
swer here and elsewhere for the results
of honest labors to relieve the INDECENT
soldiers of our common country, in
any section of it, coming as they do
from many wars in which we have
been engaged, and with every conf.
dence Of right verdict upon the
whole matter, We submit our bill
again for the Judgment of the House
and ask for it the most rigid criticism,
believing it will tend to strengthen
rather than to weaken it. We recon-
mend without g. dissenting voice ia
this committee, that the bill do pass;
Notwithstanding the objections OF the
President